Holy Family Orphanage Marquette, MI

Last Rites for the Cavalcade King

The first orphanage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan—the destination for area Native American and parentless children—was built in downtown Marquette in the 1870s and called “Rock Street”, followed in 1881 by a Catholic home named after St. Joseph in Assinins. By 1903, these two orphanages were overfull, thanks to a ruthless campaign of removing infants from their Native American mothers. Frederick Eis, a Bishop residing in Marquette, soon began to petition funds for a new orphanage in his city, one that would become the biggest orphanage in the region.

Inside Marquette’s Orphanage

Digitally time-stamped into the memory card of my camera is the time 6:43 A.M., the moment when the first sun crawled across the floor below the boarded windows in jagged streaks, threatening to impale everything in their steady, dusty path. I set myself down on the window sill with my face against the dew-dampened plywood and searched where the boards met for a gap. Suddenly, as the orange sun teased the top of the pine trees across the road, the world around sparked to a deep glow. While my pupils slowly adjusted to the sunlight, the shielded stained glass of the chapel lit up, shard by shard, to progressively reveal the chairs across the open worship space, long stripped of its glory but somehow retaining its religious atmosphere.

It was my first mass and I was seemingly alone; orphaned.

From the boarded-up choir loft above the chapel, minutes after sunrise. Obviously local kids have long had their way with this landmark.

Built & Filled

Holy Family Orphanage’s construction began in 1914 and it opened in 1915 at a cost of about $100,000 and initially intended to serve white children only. Despite this, its first residents were 60 Native American children and 8 sisters, all transferred from Assinins. The building was eventually going to sustain about four times that number of little boys and girls, mostly between second and eighth grade.Later, infants and older children were accepted as well, many of which had one living parent, but one not able to support them.

Postcard, 1917

A street side exposure of the original 1914 section of the orphanage. Turned into black and white to deemphasize all the graffiti across the front steps.

A strange little staircase on the side of the orphanage puts the scale of the building in perspective. It’s big, by U.P. standards!

Mostly brick but with a decorative frontage of South Marquette Sandstone, this orphanage included classrooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry and kitchen facilities and, to serve the needs of one’s salvation, a large chapel.

There was a lot of praying, and even non-Catholics, be they Native American or Protestant, were forced to follow the exact regimen: at 6 a.m. they are their breakfast cereal, at 9 a.m. they had class, with some of the afternoon set aside for play.

Playtime in the Orphanage

A 1955 article titled, “Orphanage Tots Ready for Winter” describes 15 sleds and 15 pairs of skis, locally refurbished and delivered for the use of the children. Names of the sleds included, “Cavalcade King, Iron City Express, Silver Bladesman, and Royal Duke.” When the daylight faded, some children had chores taking care of the various livestock kept in and around the building while others cleaned. If the children stayed playing outdoors too late, a nun would waddle to the stone steps and blow a horn to recall them. After a bath, the children would retire to their dormitories until the next day, and so time went on.

The Catholic Diocese of Marquette opened Holy Family in 1963 to young Cuban refugees who fled their island home during its revolution through a program called Operation Pedro Pan. Most of the young ones were sent away by their parents to seek a sort of sanctuary, one that lasted until 1966.

A year later, the last orphan left Holy Family Orphanage and the building was only used for its offices—a role that kept the place alive until 1982, when the building was abandoned.

An antique clothes dryer and sample inline 4 engine, the latter used as a training piece after WWII to retrain veterans.

Money & Politics, or a Hot Potato

Lately, the orphanage has only received bad press, labeled as an eyesore and architectural blight, rather than as the local landmark I see when I look through my camera viewfinder; there are few modern institutional buildings that I think are equally beautiful. Despite the foul history as a place where Native American children were stored away from their parents to accommodate their integration into white culture, the past isn’t going to change. This truth was made especially clear to me in late 2008 when Jami Morgan, while commenting on another article I authored about the orphanage, wrote:

“My mother was placed here as an infant during 1946 after the State of Michigan removed her from her Native American mother. My mother was consequently adopted by a White family and never came to know her culture until she was in her fifties. Your photographs are very symbolic of the ruin Native American people have encountered as a result of the then-common practice of attempting to assimilate our people into the mainstream.”

I am still thankful for her insight.

The curtain closes officially when the walls crack under the weight of winter snow.

Living Memories Live On

Since I’ve been researching this area, I’ve been lucky enough to receive correspondences from other former occupants of the orphanage and their families. Although the evidence is admittedly anecdotal, it suggests that most residents stayed one or two years and shared the orphanage with siblings. Most of the now-elderly children say they were well-treated, but admitted that abuse sometimes occurred; nothing hinting at the insistence of some locals that children were beaten to death here or left in the abusive Michigan winters to die—two claims that resurface constantly in reference to this location.

The last time the city sealed this door, they must have been changing out old road signs.

The fact is, that after being abandoned between 1982, Holy Family Orphanage was bought by a businessman named Roger Rinne and was to be converted into an assisted living facility, but necessary repairs were never made and he refused to sell the building for what it’s worth; he appraised it at $1.6 million while the City of Marquette estimated the value at $200,000. Since then, several potential buyers have tried to loosen his grip on the orphanage, but none have found the funding to follow through.

Rinne filed for bankruptcy in December 2009, however, so it is unclear (from a distance, granted) whether the building is owned by him or the city anymore.

Sunrise in the orphanage… between classrooms and whispers.

Now What?

Although it is nice to imagine that this building might now find its way into the folio some yet-unknown visionary developer, I think it is more realistic to point out that, in the midst of a recession, a demolition order is much more likely. Perhaps the saving grace of this building is that fact that Marquette might not have the money to tear it down for a few more years.

All the same, I wish this empty landmark the best: it’s one of the most beautiful orphanages I’ve ever photographed and absolutely a treasure to be preserved.

The staircase going to the second floor balcony is gone, giving a clear view of the first floor porch.

Note the maps still left on the wall.

One of the few artifacts left in the chapel section is this old floor buffing machine.

A divot to let more light and air into the building.

Boards on the window are like rings on a tree, if you know how to read abandonments.

An antique clothes dryer and sample inline 4 engine, the latter used as a training piece after WWII to retrain veterans.

A snapshot of the most preserved classroom in the orphanage.

It would be a shame if this building is not preserved. Word is (as of 2015) that construction may start on this section soon.

A strange little staircase on the side of the orphanage puts the scale of the building in perspective. It’s big, by U.P. standards!

The curtain closes officially when the walls crack under the weight of winter snow.

From the boarded-up choir loft above the chapel, minutes after sunrise. Obviously local kids have long had their way with this landmark.

Smashed TVs and stone foundations in a former common room in the basement.

Sunrise in the orphanage… between classrooms and whispers.

Moisture and temperature changes have hoisted the wooden floors of the first floor classrooms.

Looking at the boarded exterior of the newer area of the orphanage from its 1914 section.

The last time the city sealed this door, they must have been changing out old road signs.

The cornerstone of the building, in Latin.

A street side exposure of the original 1914 section of the orphanage. Turned into black and white to deemphasize all the graffiti across the front steps.

beautiful photos! the orphanage has always fascinated me, but i’ve never had the guts to sneak in to explore (more concerned about falling through a floor than ‘spirits’ or ‘ghosts’). thanks for the photographic tour, I’d love to see more!

hello.a few of us girls visitied the orphanage staurday oct 5 2013.every window was borded up but one thru the lower floor..a far drop with no way out.alot of trash tucked in every entry way as well as a few human and bird squatters.although we didnt make it in we took some lovely extreior photos.would be a shame to loose such a lovely piece of history..we plan to return..with a rope ladder and fears of falling thru the floors..thank u for this tour

My father and his two brothers were at this orphanage back in the early 1920’s. I have been to this orphanage a few times while visiting my nephew, who went to NMU. My fathers family is from Norway, MI. I have some small pieces of brick from the bldg.

My mom and her two sisters (and younger brother whom they didn’t allow her to see) were orphans here. The stories I’ve heard are not find memories. One is of locals donating Christmas gifts to the orphans, only to have them disappear on Christmas morning because the children were sinful. Cheerful place for helpless children.

I went to this orphanage back when I was a teen about ten years ago…I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all in the building, so I do not believe that it is haunted. I do believe, however, that it’s a beautiful historical monument that needs to be saved. It is eerie, yes, but the darkness and the scent of asbestos will do that, as well as the many boarded windows and torn apart walls.
When we were going to enter the orphanage we noticed an elderly gentleman standing outside the building so we approached him to say hello. He shared a wonderful story (complete with true tears) about his time when he was at the orphanage. Said that the nuns were nice, they punished when necessary and they loved the children very much. He said that thanks to the place he felt loved and he was taken care of, and he was very thankful for all they did for him.

I went to this orphanage back when I was a teen about ten years ago…I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all in the building, so I do not believe that it is haunted. I do believe, however, that it’s a beautiful historical monument that needs to be saved. It is eerie, yes, but the darkness and the scent of asbestos will do that, as well as the many boarded windows and torn apart walls.
When we were going to enter the orphanage we noticed an elderly gentleman standing outside the building so we approached him to say hello. He shared a wonderful story (complete with true tears) about his time when he was at the orphanage. Said that the nuns were nice, they punished when necessary and they loved the children very much. He said that thanks to the place he felt loved and he was taken care of, and he was very thankful for all they did for him.

[…] Did you know I wrote about this place already? jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery("#36d4fa7dfd536c19").photoNav({id:"36d4fa7dfd536c19",mode:"move",popup:"colorbox",animate:"",position:"center",label:"1"});}); […]

My mother, Delores Shafer, lived in this orphanage. She was taken from her parents, separated from family and siblings, abused and traumatized by the way she was treated. She did not have good memories. My number is (redacted). Any questions or info is welcome

They are renovation this old orphanage for low income housing development. The building will be preserved as much as they can.. I’m skeptical because I’ve been in there when I was a kid and I felt very negative vibes. Hearts broken it was a somber place that I knew there had been witness of many children’s hearts that were broken.

I lived there with my sister from 1945 until 1949. I remember the nuns and church and communion every day. I also remembeer the snow and cold during the winters. Worked in the kitchen some time and used to take shoes to the cobbler shop. Went from there to a childrens institute in Ann Arbor before being placed in a home for adoption.

I am trying to find my grandpa’s history, I do believe that he was in the place when he was about 6 or 7. Wesley Parrish was his name. do you have any memories of whom might of been there when you were.

The orphanage is now being fully renovated into apartments. Many were skeptical that this would ever happen, and a viable reuse would be found for the orphanage. But it looks like the building will have a new life.

I’m happy to say that the orphanage is now being renovated by Wolverine Building Group. The architecture and beauty will once again shine. Wolverine Building Group has been in business since 1939 and we specialize in historic renovation. I hope you will find your way back to this amazing building for more photographs and memories.

my husband was here in 1940’s. he still has nightmares from being there. he has a lot of stories about how he and other children were treated so bad. why did that happen to them? he told me of one child that hang himself just to stop the abuse. how sad to have to live with this pain for so many years.

how do you find if this place is where my father was til he was adopted. i thought this place was burned down and all medical recoreds were lost? he was native american with a name of francis racine, he was 13 plus lbs very big child dont know if the mother lived?

My mother Laurie Ann Monosso (Loretta Ann ) and her two sisters Caroline Estella Monosso and Phoebe Mary Monosso were there in 1933 – 34 after the death of their mother ( in Seul Choix Point, Michigan,) Their mother Ella Ruth Goudreau died at the age of 38, leaving their father William Henry Monosso a fisherman on Lake Michigan with 7 girls and a son ( son being only a year old ), These 3 girls, my mother was 9 when she and her sisters 7 and 5, went into the orphanage. My mother was 16 when she left there. My grandfather ( from what I have been told, worked 3 jobs to pay for the keep of his daughters so as to not be adopted out and to ensure their welfare. I recall going to the orpanage as a 13 or 14 year old teen with my parents, my mother went back there every chance she could, and dad was always supportive, as there were two girls that mom was with in the orphange, they became nuns. We would visit them there and we even followed them around to all of there assigned locations. My mom told me so much about her times there ( good and bad ) and about the nuns and the Father that was presiding over everything there at that time… She spoke very highly of the father and how he would look out for her and her sisters welfare. I recall the wood trim and the terrazzo floors and the Chapel was very very beautiful. I was always so afraid the Orphange would be torn down and somehow what was of my mother being there would be lost. I am so glad that the building has been utilized to some good…. thanks for allowing me to tell my moms tale here.